In a high-profile report by the German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle, viewers see how Ukrainian children as young as 10 are being made "combat-ready" and taught how to handle different types of weapons in what are described as "secret military camps across the country" specifically targeted at minors.
However, many have reacted very strongly to the positive tone of the report, pointing out that it appears that the German media is actively trying to portray the child soldier camps as something positive and necessary.
Child soldiers are perhaps most commonly associated with bloody civil wars in the jungles of Africa and Asia - and something that is systematically rejected in the West as barbaric and completely unacceptable – with the argument that adults have a responsibility to do what they can to keep children out of wars and conflicts.
DW's report, however, does not follow that template at all, instead telling viewers that the military training camps for children are a deliberate and long-term strategy on the part of Ukraine and something of a necessary evil.
– In Ukraine, kids as young as 10 are getting combat ready. As fighting with Russia drags on, secret military camps across the country are teaching kids the art of war, including how to shoot pistols, rifles, and even machine guns. Ukrainians realize the war may continue for many years, and they want to be prepared, says the reporter, and continues:
– Today's children may just be tomorrow's soldiers.
"Will die for my country"
The German journalist claims that the children will not be sent to the front until they reach the age of majority - but it is not clear whether this is just something he has been told by camp officials, or whether he has actually looked into it.
– They think I'm their little girl, I can be a fighter, I can be a soldier, and I'm just saying I will get killed for my country, I will get injured for my country. And it's the choices I've made. They just don't understand it, says a 14-year-old girl.
Although the child soldier camp is mainly portrayed as a positive thing, one of the people in charge admits that not all Ukrainians support the activity and that many parents do not want to send their children there – because they are afraid that the children will be sent to the army.
– We learn to protect them. We learn to help them to survive in the war, he assures.
"The degeneration of liberal democracy knows no bounds"
The report has sparked widespread anger and frustration on social media – with many pointing out that it seems the German media company is trying to normalize the use of child soldiers in war.
"The Ukrainians are training child soldiers. And German state media is celebrating it. Ukraine-mania brings out the darkest demons of the human soul", writes one user.
"Training children for the meat grinder? The degeneracy of liberal democracy knows no bounds. If they were Africans in Congo and not Europeans in Ukraine, DW would be screaming bloody murder over the use of child soldiers", argues another.
Others draw parallels with the final stages of the Second World War and how Germany used child soldiers to prolong the war – even though there was no longer any chance of victory.
Some have also noted that at least one of the instructors appears to be wearing a variant of the national coat of arms of National Socialist Germany on his makeshift uniform – something that is not mentioned in DW's report, despite the fact that this type of symbol is banned in Germany.
